John Woo

Kenneth E. Hall has written several books, including a study of John Woo’s The Killer, authored many articles on Latin American literature, and is a contributor to Studies in the Western. He is a professor of Spanish at East Tennessee State University and lives in Johnson City, Tennessee.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Foreword by Tony Williams      Introduction: Painting the True Colors of the Hero      1. Woo and the Asian and Western Traditions      2. Influences, Parallels, Inspirations      3. A Unique “Action Director”      4. The Early Films: A Selected Treatment      5. A Better Tomorrow and A Better Tomorrow II: A Flawed Saga      6. The Killer: Heroism Defeated      7. A New Independence: Bullet in the Head and Once a Thief      8. Hard Boiled Heroic Cops      9. Move to Hollywood: Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off      10. Hollywood Success: Mission: Impossible II      11. Frustrated in Hollywood: Windtalkers, Paycheck      12. Music in the Films      13. From Hollywood to China      Filmography      Notes      Bibliography      Index

“shows how Woo’s work demonstrates Asian and Western traditions”—Booklist; “the first book-length study on the director based upon detailed research as well as personal interviews with Woo himself...highly informative with excellent footnotes...essential reading”—Film Quarterly; “Hall takes us on an inside tour”—VideoScope; “Hall demonstrates European and Hollywood influences on the work of Hong Kong film director John Woo”—Reference & Research Book News; “detailed analysis”—ARBA; “those seeking to learn more about the gifted filmmaker should read Kenneth E. Hall’s John Woo: The Films, the first serious study on his body of work”—South Dade News Leader; “the first serious study on [Woo]...Woo’s cross-cultural embrace of both Asian and American heroes gives his cinematic works a global influence and appeal”—Burlington County Times; “[an] ideal browse...much preferable to [the competition]”—Asianow.